Don't let the raft of home-design shows on HGTV mislead you into thinking that Bathroom Divas is about mistresses of fine porcelain and faucets.

Don't let the raft of home-design shows on HGTV mislead you into thinking that Bathroom Divas is about mistresses of fine porcelain and faucets.

But it is about makeovers – of the human voice.

The six-episode Bathroom Divas: So You Want to be an Opera Star? begins its second season on Bravo! tomorrow at 9 p.m. (repeating Tuesday at 8 p.m.).

In familiar reality-TV format, four judges audition wannabe opera singers across the country and choose six finalists. They then join the amateurs at an intensive "opera boot camp" and winnow them down to one.

The winner's prize is singing an opera aria with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in that city's Orpheum Theatre.

This is no Canadian Idol, which focuses on who gets voted off. "The difference between this and other reality shows," says judge Tom Diamond, "is this is not a talent competition; it's a transformation."

Seeing six eager people of varying ages and backgrounds working to change from ordinary caterpillars to vocal butterflies is compelling viewing. Witnessing the small transformations in pitch, elocution and dramatic presentation at the hands of experienced coaches attracts viewers who work in the music business as well as people who have never thought about classical singing before.

"Vocal students across the country have Bathroom Diva nights," says Diamond, who has worked for 25 years as an opera director and drama coach.

He tasted the power of TV one day last year while buying fish at the St. Lawrence Market. A fellow shopper recognized him from Bathroom Divas: "This woman said she was never an opera fan before, but now she is."

The chief vocal coach for the Canadian Opera Company, Liz Upchurch, and bass-baritone Daniel Lichti are new additions to the four-person jury, which also includes singer/comedian/teacher Mary Lou Fallis.

"I see this as a missionary exercise," says Upchurch. She is thrilled with her Bathroom Divas experience. "It was a complete trip from beginning to end."

In the opening episode, Upchurch, Diamond, Fallis and Lichti travel to Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax to hear 120-odd singers compete for the six places at opera boot camp.

"They did it on pure adrenaline and passion," says Upchurch. "These people just want to sing – so badly."

There are trained and untrained voices among these amateurs. People who can act and others who stand stiff as tree trunks onstage.

"We were looking for the package," says Diamond. "As a teacher, I have to see people who can transform. You have to look at them with your X-ray specs."

Adds Upchurch: "We really talk to these people (during the auditions). We had to see if we could work with them. We were looking for change very, very quickly."

The judges meet some wacky characters along the way, including a nearly tone-deaf P.E.I. farmer who brings along his acoustic guitar, and a Montreal woman who channels spirits whenever she sings. Too bad she can't channel the actual music.

"There were tears of joy, tears of pain and tears of laughter," says Upchurch. Both during auditions and later during the gruelling 12-hour days at opera boot camp.

"In opera, you have unions and (regular) hours," she explains. Not so in the world of reality TV.

Each of the six finalists is asked to pick an opera aria which will be the basis of their boot-camp training. That process of transformation begins next week.

In each episode, Upchurch, Lichti and Fallis work the vocal delivery, while Diamond tries to develop the dramatic execution. The six finalists live and work together in a posh private home, where a pressure-cooker atmosphere quickly highlights their personality quirks.

The ability of each singer to learn and adapt is quickly put to the test. Interestingly, it's not the best singers who respond best to opera boot camp.

Last year's winner, Elton Lammie, is proof. The B.C.-born Roy Orbison tribute singer with a penchant for cowboy hats had a steely determination that beat out the natural talents of a young soprano who had already had classical training.

"His was the biggest transformation," says Diamond. "To me, he was a very obvious winner. No opera singer is made in a month, except for Elton Lammie."

There is no recording contract or tour waiting at the end of the televised ordeal.

"No one can do something else for 20 years and then expect to suddenly have a career as an opera singer," says Upchurch. "At the end of the process there are a lot of questions."

Lammie decided to continue studying with last year's vocal coach Gary Relyea. He returns to Bathroom Divas later in the season to share his experiences.

Not an end in itself, Bathroom Divas is like a hyper-compressed survey of every vocal student's challenges, including the uncertainty of making a career from singing.

In short, it's never dull.

More on thestar.com

We value respectful and thoughtful discussion. Readers are encouraged to flag comments that fail to meet the standards outlined in our
Community Code of Conduct.
For further information, including our legal guidelines, please see our full website
Terms and Conditions.